


Bonus Scene: Christmas Holiday

by Kamaro0917



Series: Second Chances and Bonus Scenes [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:26:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25086877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamaro0917/pseuds/Kamaro0917
Summary: Just a quick drabble from Harry's perspective. Takes place between chapters 37 and 38 of Second Chances.
Relationships: Fleur Delacour/Hermione Granger
Series: Second Chances and Bonus Scenes [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1816891
Comments: 4
Kudos: 115





	Bonus Scene: Christmas Holiday

**Author's Note:**

> For @KyrandianaHunter
> 
> I'm not going to rewrite the Christmas day scene from HP5 since I don't really see it as being different from the book/movie but this is a little extra information.

Christmas holiday was a subdued affair at Grimmauld Place. It had been about a week since the late night visit to St. Mungo’s after Arthur Weasley’s attack.

Harry spent most of his time alone; wandering the dusty halls and exploring areas he hadn’t seen over the summer. The adults were holed away in the kitchen for extended periods of time. More “Order” stuff. Which of course made him even more curious, but ever since Mrs. Weasley caught them trying to snoop with the aid of “Extendable Ears” they had cast a number of silencing charms and defensive enchantments.

The four Weasley children were abnormally quiet, even the prankster twins had a hard time raising spirits. Mrs. Weasley did her best to decorate the common spaces to make things a little more festive, but Harry knew that the Weasleys were on a tight budget as it was and Mr. Weasley being in the hospital was only going to make things harder on the clan of redheads. Everyone was worried about Mr. Weasley and the attack. The tension grew heavier and heavier with each day that passed. 

Harry knew that he shouldn’t be selfish, but a part of him burned with jealousy. At least  _ their _ dad would survive an attack by Voldemort. Unlike him, they would get to spend another Christmas with their family intact. He quietly chastised himself for having such dark thoughts and he chose to spend time away from the others so that his mood wouldn’t bring them down even more. Not to take the obvious cop out, but he wondered if his negative outlook was a result of their connection. He would definitely have to talk with Dumbledore and Westminster when he got back from the holiday. 

Once he finished broodily walking the halls each day, he would curl up in the library and read over various material he pulled off the cobweb covered shelves. Apparently Kreacher hadn’t been keeping up with the dusting and all evidence of Mrs. Weasley’s cleaning tirade from summer was negated. Most of it was pureblood supremacy propaganda and mumbo jumbo. The rest was borderline Dark Arts, which was equally fascinating and disturbing. He wondered about Voldemort and maybe he could find something in the reading. An explanation. A clue. Anything. 

It was Christmas Eve and once again Harry found himself in a plush chair next to the hearth, his reading lying forgotten on his lap as he stared into the crackling fire, deep in thought. He laughed quietly to himself. Doing extra reading on his holiday. Who’d have thought? His behavior showed how much of an influence Hermione had on him from the past four years. He wondered what she was up to. Was she still at St. Mungo’s with Fleur? What had attacked the French witch so badly that she ended up in the hospital? At least he assumed that it was an attack, since she was also in the Creature-induced injury ward. He wished he could talk to her but he didn’t want to write a letter. She had made it sound like whatever happened was very private and that she and Fleur didn’t want to be disturbed when they had met briefly in the hallway, so a letter would possibly draw surefire attention that they didn’t want. And he didn’t want to be insensitive. 

He sighed and tossed the book on his steadily growing pile. He found nothing useful in his search for information regarding his connection with Voldemort. He checked his Muggle watch. 4:30pm, almost time to think about dinner. He stood and stretched his arms high above his head and exhaled in satisfaction as he felt several joints pop.

_ Tap, tap, tap. _

He turned in the direction of the sound and his emerald eyes widened. Even through the grimy glass he saw that the cause of the noise was Hedwig fluttering in place with a small package and scroll in her talons.  _ Odd. _ He hadn’t given anyone permission to use her, nor did he get random mail like this. He hurried over to the window and threw it open. 

The majestic snowy owl silently flapped inside, dropping the parcel in his hands and landing on his shoulder. She gave an indignant hoot and affectionately nibbled on the ends of his hair before twisting her head about to preen herself.

Harry walked back over to his chair and sat down, pulling out the scroll and unfurling it. 

_ Dear Harry, _

_ It was wonderful to see you the other day, though I wish it were under better circumstances. I’m glad to hear that things are going well for you at Hogwarts this year and I miss you terribly.  _

_ I’m sending you your present separately, as it is something of a more restricted nature and I don’t particularly want others to know that you have it. And yes, I am in my right mind, you’ll find that I’m a little more tolerant of bending certain rules now. Please take a moment to open it before reading further and DO NOT SHAKE THE BOX! _

Harry chuckled and eagerly tore off the Gryffindor red wrapping paper. Inside were several chunks of rock that looked like a Snitch-size lumps of coal. Each was nestled in a soft bed of cotton stuffing. He gingerly picked one up and inspected it, turning it around in his hand. Unable to discern anything about his rock, he placed it back in the box and continued reading.

_ This is called Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder. I’ve solidified it so that it is easier to transport. To activate, all you need to do is throw it on the ground as hard as you can. It will instantly create a dense cloud approximately 10 feet in radius from the point of impact. Keep it with you at all times. Though I hope you’ll never need to make a quick getaway, I think you’ll know the right moment to use it. Please do not waste it on pranks on Malfoy and do try your best to stay out of trouble. _

_ Happy Christmas, _

_ Hermione and Fleur _

Harry grinned broadly and looked at his strange rocks with a newfound excitement. It was a rather Hermione-like gift. Practical and well thought out. Even apart, he knew that she was keeping an eye out for him. He knew that there was a lot she hadn’t mentioned in her letter, mostly revolving around his concerns with Voldemort, but it’s not like she could just talk about that willy nilly. He carefully tucked the box into the front pocket of his hoodie when he heard a loud commotion coming from the first floor.

“Dad’s back!” 

In their excitement, they had forgotten about Mrs. Black’s portrait and the infernal woman started screeching again.


End file.
